There are several theories as to its origin. Some say there's a divine entity, a "God" if you will, that created it out of nothing. Others believe that it evolved after millions and millions of processing cycles, from simpler, more basic characters. At this point, the only way to have one is to get it from someone else. Maybe at some point science will be advanced enough that humanity will be able to create its own characters in a test tube. Imagine that!